Mother Night, Uncle Shadow
"TWILIGHT!" Nightmare Moon shouted as the rainbow overtook her after Celestia used the Elements of Harmony against her sister, leading to the artifacts turning to stone with magic disappearing while the face of her sister appeared on the moon as the mare cried. Unknown to her, someone saw the rainbow from Unicorn Range and departed there.
It happened, as was foretold. A 14 ft tall, red-eyed, black masked being with onyx colored armor and gun metal hands, feet and joints thought as he walked through the devastated Castle of Two Sisters, teleported Luna's room after hearing the wailing of a child that slowly died down and came across a hidden passage in her room, leading to another with a lavender coated alicorn filly with a purple mane and tail with pink highlights inside a crib, She never told me she had a child despite our connection. He thought, determining her to be around a month or two where a foal is at their weakest before Celestia entered the room.
"Makuta Kratus, Lord and Master of Shadow." She said, earning his attention "Why?" she asked, earning a sigh from her adoptive brother.
"Didn't I do anything?"
"Exactly, why didst thou become distant and not take action and help our sister before she became Nightmare Moon?"
"Because I had no other choice, if I took a side one sister would resent me for my choice, and I'd either hasten, delay what happened or made it worse." He replied before reaching into the crib, "But now I have a chance to make up for my inaction."
"What dost thou mean?" She asked, only for the Makuta to reveal the filly in his arm. "A child?"
"One that I'll take care of as penance." He replied.
"But thou dost not know how to care for a child." Celestia said before noticing something wrong with the foal, she was barely breathing as a curse drained her life force and magic. "Dark magic is causing her harm, she shall perish if we never rid her of it." She said before casting a spell that had the side effect of removing her earth pony and pegasus magic, turning her into a unicorn filly, "She needs time to recover." She added after the spell took effect, "So, she shall sleep 'til the time comes for her to awaken." She finished casting a stasis spell on her niece before attempting to take the child. Only for Kratus to pull her away.
"I've taken care of children a long time ago." He said, remembering a life lived eons ago with Celestia remembering something.
"Thou said thou couldst not act, why?"
"Because I knew what would happen, A sister shall fall into shadow and the other shall banish her, after a thousand years the Bearer of Power shall save her."
"A prophecy." Celestia said, earning a nod from the Makuta.
"Foretold by another eons before the birth of you and your sister."
"We see."
"I intend to let her know of her heritage."
"But she shalt side with our sister."
"No, for I'll make sure she knows the difference." Kratus said, "The Bearer of Magic shall save her." He added after seeing a vision of the future before Celestia spoke.
"Thou needest a name for her, our sister said something when we banished her." She said, thinking back, "Twilight, we believe she wast referring to her, so she we shalt call her Twilight Sparkle." She added, neither noticing the plaque on the floor before the armored behemoth teleported to his lair and watch over his niece as she slept, waiting to achieve her destiny.
For we all have one. Kratus thought as he ordered the creation of Twilight Sparkles quarters. Though he would watch over her as she slept, he didn't neglect his duties.
986 years later.
"Uncle Kratus! Uncle Kratus!" A filly Twilight Sparkle said, running up to the Makuta who turned around from an experiment, even though he'd been more of a father than an uncle.
"What is it?"
"Look how much I can lift now!" Twilight said before levitating multiple Rahkshi towards her who looked around.
I never knew that Rahkshi look funny when they're like that. Kratus thought while trying to stifle his laughter at the sight of his sons' confusion, especially since he could feel it thanks to the mental link they share, though once he got control of his laughter he spoke, "I'm impressed at how far you've come in practicing levitation." He said, smiling, "Now let them go back to their patrols." He added with the filly letting go with a pout.
"I don't see why they need to watch the halls, nopony other than me knows this place."
"That's where you're wrong, Celestia knows about this place."
"Then why doesn't she visit?"
"She's busy, which is something you already know." Kratus said, before Twilight returned to her room as Kratus went back to his experiment.
2 Years Later.
Twilight Sparkle was studying in her room before book caught her eye, one that contained the Tale of Two Sisters. Try as she might to ignore the feeling of wanting to read it, she gave in and read the tale, though she also remembered the look of sadness in her uncle's eyes when he looked at the night sky and dodged the subject when she asked what was wrong, and now determined to know the truth, she wrote a letter to Kratus as the gears in her head turned.
"Is there anything else that we need to discuss?" A Makuta with crimson armor asked the gathered Makuta, including one that has white colored armor and a golden version of Kratus' Kanohi.
"Not that I know of, Miserix." The white armored Makuta said, the aforementioned Makuta dismissing the group before a letter appeared in front of Kratus.
I knew this day would come. He thought before the white armored Makuta interrupted his thoughts.
"Is there something wrong?"
"It's time to tell Twilight the truth, Teridax." Kratus replied. "Even if I hoped I could hold of telling her a little longer."
"You best get it done and over with." Miserix said, the youngest Makuta nodding with a sigh before teleporting to Twilight's room.
"Uncle Kratus, who is the Mare in the Moon to you?" The lavender unicorn asked, her uncle thinking on how to tell his niece as he knew what she meant.
"She was my other sister and a mother to my niece."
"Your niece?" Twilight asked, wondering if she had a cousin or a sister she never knew before she connected the dots as she saw her uncle looked at a picture of an alicorn foal that looked… just like her when they entered each other's mindscape during their training with final pieces of the puzzle put together. "I'm her daughter, aren't I?"
"You're Princess Luna's daughter, not Nightmare Moon's." Kratus replied before Twilight burst into tears and teleported to her room with the Makuta sighing and giving his niece her space with her exiting hours later to eat. "Are you mad at me?"
"Only a little, since she was my mother and you left her."
"There's a chance of you reuniting with her." Kratus said.
"How?"
"It's almost a thousand years since the time she fell into shadow with the seal breaking soon."
"Then I've got to prepare for her."
"Unless something is done, it'll be Nightmare Moon who'll remain."
"What do I need to do?"
"I'm running out of teaching material, so you'll need to go elsewhere for lessons. And the closet place is in Canterlot."
"You mean I'll have to go to her school."
"Yes, but do not be angry at her, for you'll have to remain angry at me." Kratus said before explaining why, resulting in Twilight unable to do so, even though her uncle kept the truth from her. He still took care of her since her mother could not.
1 year later.
"Twilight." Kratus said, earning the filly's attention, "I'm done with my projects." He added, shapeshifting into a red-eyed stallion with an onyx coat and gun metal mane and tail with a cutie mark with a ray of light blocked by darkness in the shape of his Kanohi, "Now then, are you ready to try out for her school?" He asked, picking up the filly who nodded eagerly, earning a chuckle from her uncle/father figure, "Remember how to teleport?" He asked.
"Of course I do!" She replied.
"Let's see how far you can take us." The disguised Makuta said with the filly nodding before the two teleported towards Canterlot with the stallion teleporting them the rest of the way after the filly teleported them half-way to Ponyville, and arriving in time for the entrance exam to start though, as she contiued her attempt to hatch the egg, a loud boom startled the filly, causing a magic flare that caused the egg to hatch and the dragon to grow with Celestia intervening, and taking in the filly as a student after pointing out her cutie mark, though her uncle would find the time to visit her.
Mother Night, Uncle Shadow
One more day, just one more day… then I'll reunite with her after finding a way to separate her from the Nightmare. Twilight thought before Celestia entered the room after having a conversation with a disguised Kratus.
"Twilight." She began, earning the mare's attention, "What do you know about The Mare in The Moon?" She asked, earning a sigh from her student, though the mare hoped she wasn't making a mistake.
"Everything." Twilight said, "Including who she really is."
So he told her after all. Celestia thought, "Are you mad at me for doing what I did?" She asked, earning a nod from her student.
"When I first found out."
"Then why did you accept becoming my student?"
"Because of what he told me after I calmed down."
"What did he say?"
"That I would have to hate him too. Something I could never do, and that hatred between us will only lead to ruin."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for ignoring her plight."
"I know."
"I'm sending you to Ponyville to make sure the preparations of the Summer Sun Celebration are on time tomorrow."
Things were going well for Nightmare Moon, especially since she forced her sister into hiding and vowed to hunt down then banish her before visiting the old castle and finding her daughter missing with the mare assuming her dead causing further anger. Then she showed herself to Ponyville and found a mare resembling her daughter, deeming it impossible before disappearing as something told her to check her brother's lair, Coward, for someone powerful as him he fears to face me. She thought after finding him missing along with the deactivation of traps and lack of sentries, but something guided her to where her brother's study/room was before an open room caught her eyes, finding things for a growing mare inside, including a series of books on a shelf. She almost turned to leave until saw the name on some of the books; Twilight Sparkle. It must be a coincidence. She thought before opening the book and saw pictures of a filly doing all kinds of things, including playing with a doll that looked like… her old self. She also saw birthdays and times spent with Kratus. Sometimes they observed the stars, though the mare couldn't help but notice the remorse in the Makuta's eyes when they looked at the moon, causing her to sniffle as tears formed in her eyes. For though she attempted to convince herself otherwise, somehow in her heart she knew that the mare living in this room with her brother. Was her daughter, Why did things have to happen like this? She thought, crying while looking through the scrapbook further and read parts of a diary, even though her tears kept her from seeing most of the words clearly. Some she could read before leaving the lair, never knowing that a pair of red eyes watched her leave as the mare sought to confirm the truth.
"Soon mother and child shall reunite." The owner said as he went to watch the events unfold, from the manticore all the way to the resurrection of the Elements of Harmony, Please work as I hope. He thought, only for them to fail with him surprised at sight, Well… didn't expect her to return to being an alicorn this soon. He thought, though Nightmare Moon had other, more conflicting thoughts.
She's alive after all?!
No, it's a trick by Celestia and Makuta.
But why would the Elements of Harmony use this as a distraction? Maybe…
Impossible, the dead stay dead.
Though a groan squashed all other thoughts, reminding the mare that she's not alone in the ruins and took stock of her company, and approached the other alicorn, her chest rising a falling as she breathed, before she noticed the orange earth pony mare wearing a stetson with a blonde mane and tail bearing a cutie mark that was three red apples arranged in a triangle wake up, her eyes turning into pinpricks.
"H-h-how? The Elements of Harmony should've gotten rid of ya!" She said before the alicorn sent her flying with her magic and taking away the Element of Honesty.
"Hey! Nopony hurts my friends!" Another one, a pegasus with a prismatic mane and tail with a white cloud and rainbow lightning cutie mark said as she streaked towards Nightmare Moon with the results the same with the process repeating for the other bearers with the pink one confusing her with her tactics with the mare now standing over the smaller alicorn, though the Elements of Harmony mysteriously disappeared before she could seal them in a pocket dimension.
Our own sister and brother trained our daughter to attack us! Is there no end to her treachery? Could she not tolerate another alicorn and leave her with only her unicorn magic? Nightmare Moon thought as theories raced through her mind, all implausible as the lavender mare awoke.
"No, I failed." She said before making an attempt to convince Nightmare Moon to let go of her hate and bring unity back between night and day only to fail, "Then you leave me no choice." lighting her horn, turning to her back-up plan.
What is she talking about? Nightmare Moon thought as the lavender mare charged her.
I hope all that training pays off. She thought as she remembered her first combat lessons as she made the connection.
A mental attack spell! The black alicorn thought as she felt a presence enter her mind and failed to eject the mare from her mind as recognized what the mare based the tactics on, her brother's.
"So this is what it's like to engage in actual combat in the mindscape." Twilight Sparkle said, studying the place before looking up, Of course it'd be the night sky… she is the Princess of The Night after all. She thought before remembering why she was there after hearing sobbing with her heading towards the source, the one she knew gave birth to her.
"Except for our followers, everypony hates us and the night including our brother and if it is her, our own daughter." A crying Luna said.
"That's not true." Twilight replied, walking up to her mother and earning the alicorn's attention.
"But thou dost hate it, for thou desires that we make peace between our sister."
"You're wrong, Uncle Kratus taught me how much the night means to you and him. He always found it relaxing." She added, "And because there must be a balance between the night and day."
"Why doest thou call our brother uncle when you doest not call us mother, if there be a chance that thou art our daughter?"
"Because he is my uncle, and I don't acknowledge Nightmare Moon as my mother, but I acknowledge you as my mother." Twilight replied, hugging her mother, "All three of us want you to come back to us.”
"But there art those that shun the night other than our brother and those who art our followers."
"Not anymore, ponies stay up at night sometimes observing the stars or going to places at night for recreation. Some even work at night." Twilight said before smiling. "So please, come back, come back so we can be a family once more." Twilight added, hugging her mother harder than before, only for the Nightmare to appear.
"Come now Luna, you really don't believe all that? Help me cast this mare from your mind so we can take our revenge on Celestia." The other personality said only for a burst of plasma to nail her on the side.
"You shall do no such thing." Kratus said with his swordstaff at the ready, shadows surrounding him as they heed their lord and master's beck and call.
"You wish to fall first in Celestia's stead? Very well, we'll be happy to oblige. Right Luna?"
"We… doth not know what to choose." Luna replied, unsure what she should do.
"Then I'll help you choose." Nightmare said preparing to corrupt what's left of Luna, only for a shadow hand grasp her, astonishing both her and Luna who looked at her daughter, determination in her eyes.
"How?"
"I created this spell after seeing him using the real one multiple times."
"Only once she mastered it did she reveal it to me." Kratus said, proud of his niece before Nightmare broke free with Kratus attacking the mare, Twilight following suite, wanting to help her mother. But neither side held the advantage for long until Nightmare disrupted Kratus' connection before turning to Twilight Sparkle, "Now to deal with you." She said, launching a spell at the wounded lavender mare, only for another magical beam to intercept it.
"No more!" Luna shouted, "Thou shall hurt them no more, and no longer shall we let our loneliness get in our way." She said as she unleashed another spell, "Nor let our anger towards our sister remain." Luna added as she unleashed another spell, "Nor let our jealousy blind us." She continued, unleashing another, "And most of all." Luna added, preparing another spell.
"What?"
"Nor shall we let you be in the way of being with our family. Especially our daughter!" Luna replied, unleashing the spell that intended to vanquish the Nightmare only for her to push back. With Twilight joining in along with ethereal versions of the mares that accompanied her to the castle, adding their power to the spell.
"Now begone from my sister's mind and body!" Kratus said after recovering, unleashing bolts of shadow distracting Nightmare long enough for the combined magic from seven mares to overwhelm Nightmare ending the struggle once and for all, "Let there be unity between night and day once more." He said, smiling before leaving the mindscape before a bright light overcame the two mares.
Seconds ago in the real world, the five mares that accompanied Twilight to the ruins watched the struggle after recovering.
"What should we do?" The orange pony mare asked, but before any of the mares could speak, the largest golem any of them had ever seen appeared with a butter coated, pink maned and tailed pegasus mare with a trio of butterflies as a cutie mark hiding behind her mane, intimidated at the sight.
"You can help your friend through your connection to her." The golem said in a gentle voice the Elements of Harmony returning thanks to a friend of his as he entered the mind of Nightmare Moon, determined to help his niece get her mother and his sister back.
"Anypony know what he meant by that?" The prismatic mare asked.
"I think he means the Elements of Harmony." The orange mare said after a few seconds of silence, "And our friendship." She added, looking at the trio engaged in the mental conflict with.
"If you say so Applejack." Rainbow Dash said before the others made and succeeded at the attempt, ending in a bright light consuming the ruins once more that once it died down, revealed a dark blue alicorn with a mane colored as the night sky, and Twilight Sparkle's wings returning.
"Woah." The golem said, unsteady. "Never thought I'd get dizzy again." He added, "Seriously, don't you require organic components for dizziness?" He asked, off balance as an effect of standing too close to the activated Elements of Harmony as the two mares returned to the real world before Celestia arrived.
"Thank you, my wonderful niece." She said, hugging Twilight, much to the other bearer's surprise, which the golem noticed and chuckled as Celestia talked to Luna before they, along with Twilight Sparkle, hugged each other, the golem watching, but before the Makuta could make an explanation for his actions, Luna interrupted.
"Thou can explain later." She said, earning a nod from her brother.
"Agreed, words can wait for it's been a long, long time." He replied.
Author's Note
Fun fact: This and the previous chapter were once a single chapter.